Facing strong Midwest and East Coast teams, the Ramblers knew they would be in for a competitive weekend. Sending two teams to Ohio State University's Scarlet and Gray Invite and one team to Columbia University's Big Apple Invite, Loyola Mock Trial had a rough weekend that they soon hope to forget.

In Columbus, Ohio, Loyola's two teams full of first year and second year competitors faced some of the top programs from the country. Team 1141 began their first day of competition 1-3, dropping two ballots to Elon University and splitting with a Miami-Ohio team. Team 1142 started 2-2, dropping two ballots to Case Western and winning both ballots against an Eastern Michigan team. The next day didn't go as planned. Team 1141 managed a 3-1 record, splitting with a Northwood team and taking both ballots from a Michigan State team, which led them to a 4-4 record. Team 1142 went 0-4 against Miami-Ohio and Northwood, which led them to a 2-6 record.

Columbia University's tournament didn't give the Ramblers much to celebrate about either. Facing the top competition from the East Coast, Team 494 knew that it would be a uphill battle. The first day saw splits against Iona and Bellarmine. This left them with a 2-2 record going onto the next day. Sadly, Team 494 went 1-3, winning one ballot against Tufts and losing both to the tournament hosts, Columbia, to finish 3-5.

Join Loyola Mock Trial again in two weeks as they return to Ohio with St. Xavier's Tournament and make their second foray into collegiate Moot Court in Iowa City.

At the second annual Tournament of the Roses, hosted by Michigan State University, Loyola Mock Trial kicked off the invitational season strong with three teams placing in the top 10. Fielding teams with both returners and freshmen, 1141 finished 6-2 in third place, 1143 finished 4-4 in 8th place narrowly edging out 1142 with a tie breaker. 1142 finished 4-4 in 9th place.

Team 1141 started strong, taking two ballots from Northwood with 9 points and 12 points. Their second round resulted in a close split against Hillsdale, winning one ballot by 1 and losing another by 2. In round 3, they faced the other Hillsdale team, which resulted in a two ballot win by 2 points and 9 points. In their final round, competing for the first place finish against Ohio State, 1141 split, leaving them with a record of 6-2. This was enough for a 3rd place finish.

Team 1143 began their first round against Ohio State, which led to a split, winning one ballot by 2 points and losing the other ballot by 5. Their second round saw a similar result, this time splitting against Eastern Michigan University, winning one ballot by 20 points and losing the other ballot by 7. 1143 then faced a Michigan State team, resulting in yet another split, this time winning one ballot by 4 and losing another by 3 to the tournament hosts. In their final round, 1143 hoped to salvage a winning record, but split with a Northwood team to finish with a record of 4-4. After a close tie breaker with Team 1142, 1143's record was enough for a 8th place finish.

Team 1142 began their tournament by winning both ballots against Western Michigan by 21 points and 14 points. Sadly, they weren't able to replicate their success in the afternoon rounds, where they lost both ballots against Ohio State by 13 points and 9 points. In the third round, 1142 won both ballots again against Northwood by 10 points and 5 points, leaving them in contention for a top 5 finish. Sadly, 1142 dropped both ballots to Ohio State in the 4th round, leaving them with a record of 4-4. Their record was enough for a 9th place finish.

Join us next week as Loyola Mock Trial sends one team to New York for the Columbia University Big Apple Invitational (CUBAIT) and two more to the 4th annual Ohio State Scarlet & Grey Invitational!